I first became aware of the Rails to Trails movement seventeen years ago when I lived near the North County Trailway. It’s a 22-mile long bike path that follows the right-of-way of the old New York Central railroad though Westchester County.

I love the concept. All over the country, there are long stretches of track that belonged to out-business railroads which municipalities and private groups have been turning into multi-use recreational trails and parks.

Back then I had Mondays off and I found the trail to be a great way to get a work out. I could bang out twenty high speed miles on a smooth graded surface without worrying about traffic, enjoying the scenery along the way.

It’s been hard to miss the ongoing “Start-up NY” TV advertising campaign that promotes the benefits of new regulation and tax policies designed to encourage businesses to relocate to upstate NY. We support this message and these efforts.

As you know, New York has more ski areas than any other state in the country, and the economic impact of this sector is significant.

Your own office estimates the impact of Gore and Whiteface at $100 million per year. A 2015 study conducted by RRC Associates of Boulder Colorado concluded that NY ski areas added over $900 million to the state’s economy each year through both direct and indirect spending.

I feel like baseball has taken over my life. Between little league, travel ball, our local minor league team and getting to Yankees games with customers or family, it’s all baseball all the time.

The day after finally coaching my last little league game of the season, I found myself driving into the Bronx for Bat Day at Yankee Stadium. This was my kids’ fourth bat day so I guess we can call it a tradition now.

We seem to be establishing a tradition of showing up at the stadium on extremely hot days as well. For a second year in a row, we found ourselves dealing with ninety degree heat as we got out of the car.